5 Important Baby Safety Tips for Bedtime

When I first became a mom three years ago, coming home from the hospital with my newborn was a life changing, exciting and yet terrifying experience wrapped up into one. I learned lots of baby safety tips for bedtime over the years that I am sharing with you in hopes of better nights for you and your baby.

5 Important Baby Safety Tips for Bedtime

1.) Put Your Baby To Sleep On Their Back
Putting your baby “back to sleep” will give you a peace of mind knowing that your baby is in a better sleeping position– one that will help prevent SIDS. Although researchers do not know the direct cause of SIDS, the movement of putting your baby “back to sleep” has decreased the number of SIDS drastically over the past hundreds of years. When your baby sleeps on his/her back, she won’t be as prone to lack of oxygen than if he/she were sleeping on his/her belly. Putting your baby to sleep on their back will also give them a better view of their surroundings when they wake up. They won’t be as scared or as likely to panic knowing that they can see their surrounds more than if they were sleeping on their belly.

2.) Never Leave Your Baby Unattended

You’re a new mom, you’re tired, you have tons of work to do around the house– I know. But that still doesn’t excuse leaving your baby unattended at bedtime. One amazing gadget that has helped me keep an eye on my son and get things done around the house at the same time was a baby monitor. Life is busy, and we need to stop, look, and listen to our baby so we don’t miss out on the simple moments. The VTech Baby Monitor features a camera you can mount in your baby’s bedroom and parental unit that you can clip on you and take it wherever you are in the house. The camera pans up to 270º side-to-side and up to 124º up and down. The camera also zooms up to 2 times. You can also talk to your baby through the parental unit, listen to your baby, and watch your baby at all different angles. It also has a temperature indicator to let you know when it’s time to adjust the temperature. Having a baby monitor when my son was a baby was life-changing. I was able to put him down for a nap and quickly finish chores around the house, prepare meals, and get things done all while knowing he was safe and sound through my baby monitor.

3.) Be Sure That Your Baby’s Crib Is Free of Any Loose Blankets
It can be difficult to resist giving your baby a blanket at bedtime, especially when you know they love their blankets! Having any loose blankets around your baby in the crib can increase the risk of suffocation. Your baby can toss and turn throughout the night and get those blankets stuck in all different directions. It would be best to leave them out of the crib. If you’re worried that your baby might get cold or hot throughout the night, adjust the temperature in the room, and look into getting a sleep sack for your baby instead. Sleep sacks are great because they are mini-sleeping bags/dresses that you baby can wear during bedtime, they’re breathable, and fitted so no loose material moving about.

4.) To Prevent Choking on Vomit or Spit-Up, Always Burp Your Baby After Nursing
I would always wake up throughout the night to nurse my son when he was a baby. He just wasn’t the type to sleep throughout the night. So every 3 or so hours, I would feed him. After he was done, I would make sure to burp him for at least 20 minutes before putting him back to sleep. That sounds crazy right? Twenty entire minutes! Well, this allows him to get all of the air bubbles that form while feeding out of his system. If these air bubbles get trapped while he’s sleeping he is more likely to spit up or vomit in his sleep, and if he is sleeping on his back that would be a choking hazard. I know you’re tired, but 20 minutes of burp-time after feeding before putting your baby back to sleep will do wonders!

5.) Sleep When Your Baby Sleeps!
And lastly, the most important safety tip of all– sleep when your baby sleeps! This is so important. As a new mom you’re going to be so tired, exhausted, and you’re going to want to about 50 things around the house the second you can (when your baby sleeps!). But then you’re going to become even more tired, exhausted, and sleep-deprived (more than usual). If you’re in zombie-mode during your baby’s bedtime, imagine how you’re going to feel when your baby is awake. Sleeping when your baby sleeps will give you rest and energy. You’ll feel so much better well-rested than in zombie-mode. Trust me.

When we brought our daughter home the first night I felt like it was almost surreal that they would let us do that! Like the nurses were obviously much more qualified and we couldn’t possibly know enough to be 100% responsible for this tiny little thing, lol! The hardest thing for me on this list is sleeping at the same time as when my baby sleeps, I definitely feel like I need to do ten million things around the house.

I definitely think #5 is the most important. I’ve heard many mothers say that when their child naps is the only time they have to do other things. Making sure that you have rested enough is more important – your health is more important than cleaning the house!

Those are such crucial tips. Especially to keep baby safe! And all new moms need a reminder to sleep when baby sleeps. It is ok to let those dishes go for another day…New moms need to take care of their health and get enough rest while baby is new.

These are great tips! Things really change over the years. One child I had the dr said put her on her side, the other on her stomach. Then when I had my boys. put them on their backs. I tell you , if I had this video monitor it would have saved a lot of stressful nights just being able to look in.

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Hi, I'm Angela, founder and content creator at About a Mom. If you are seeking ideas and inspiration for family fun, mealtime, crafts, learning activities for kids, family travel, and parenting tips, you will find it at About a Mom. I invite you to learn more about me or drop me a note. Thanks for stopping by!